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MPAA, studios, and theaters argue that First Amendment protects their right to shout “Smoke!” in a crowded theater

Submitted by SGlantz on Sat, 2016-04-30 19:14

That’s what Hollywood's attorneys are apparently asking a judge to decide. It’s the film industry’s first official response to the national class-action lawsuit filed against the MPAA and its member companies in March.

Read a summary of their legal logic in the entertainment industry trade journal The Hollywood Reporter posted shortly after the lawyers’ filing on Friday, 29 April 2016.

Or, better yet, read their actual filings, linked below and compare what they say (or don't say) in response to the facts in the plaintiff's case.

Invoking the First Amendment just to keep selling cigarettes to kids seems like overkill. Why don’t they just stop doing it?